Wagon end-gate



G. BURKET, WAGON END GATE.

No.-56'7,534. Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BURKET, OF MISSOURI VALLEY, IOWA.

WAGON END-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,534, dated September 8 1896. Application filed June 17, 1895. Serial No. 553,071. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, GEORGE BURKET, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Missouri Valley, in the county of Harrison and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagon End- Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to improvements in end-gates.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of end-gates, and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and eflicient one which will be strong and durable, and which may be readily attached to and removed from a wagon-body.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of the end-gate constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspectiy e view, the end-gate being detached from the wagon-body. l

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a wagon-bod y having its bottom extended rearward beyond its sides 2 to form a supporting-ledge 1". The sides have secured to their outer faces metal plates 3, arranged at the rear ends of the sides of the body, extended rearward beyond the same, and bent outward to form vertical flanges 4, which are engaged by correspondingly-bent edges of plates 5. The plates 5 are provided with horizontal slots 8 and are slidingly secured to the end-gate 6 by means of headed fastening devices 7 passing through the slots. These sliding plates are arranged on the outer face of the end-gate and project laterally from the sides of the wagon-body, and are bent inward upon themselves to form hookshaped flanges for engaging the said flanges 4. The flanges 4 are arranged at the upper and lower portions of the plates 3, which are provided with centrally-disposed rearwardly-extending tongues 16, adapted to fit in corresponding recesses 15 of the sliding plates to prevent any vertical movement of the endate. b The sliding plates 5 are moved transversely of the vehicle to engage them with and disengage them from the plates 3 of the sides of the wagon-body by means of a pair of levers 9, fulcrumed intermediate of their ends on the outer face of the end-gate by pivots 10. Each pivot is preferably located adjacent to one end of its lever to divide the lever intoa long arm and a short one. The short'arms of the operating-levers are connected by links 11 with the sliding plates 5. The links are connected with the said parts by pivots 12 and 13, and the long arms of the operating-levers are slightly curved and have their terminals 17 rolled.

When the end-gate is interlocked with the sides of the wagon-body, the operating-levers are substantially horizontally disposed, with their coiled terminals engaging the lower edges of the links, and the coils form stops or catches for holding the levers in their locked position. When the operating-levers are swung downward, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings, the sliding plates are thrown outward to disengage them from the flanges of the plates 3 of the wagon- 7 body and the end-gate is disengaged therefrom. The sides of the wagon-body are provided on their inner faces adjacent to their inner ends with vertical cleats 18, arranged adjacent to the rear edges of the sides of the wagon-body, and forming recesses thereat for the reception of similar cleats 19, secured to the inner face of the end-gate. The cleats 19 fit against the inner faces of the sides of the wagon-body and serve to support the endgate and to relieve the interlocked plates 3 and 5 from strain.

, It will be seen that the end-gate is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, that it is strong and durable, and that it may be readily manipulated to connect it with and disengage it from a wagon-body.

What I claim is p The combination with a wagon-body having its bottom extended rearwardly beyond its sides to form a supporting-ledge, and an end-gate arranged on the ledge and fitting against the rear edges of the sides of the wagon-body, of the plates 3 secured to the outer faces of the sides of the body at the rear ends thereof and provided with centrallyarranged rearwardly-extending tongues and having laterally-disposed flanges located above and below the tongues, the sliding plates mounted on the end-gate at the ends thereof and provided with central recesses receiving the said tongues to lock the endgate against upward movement, said sliding plates being provided with hook shaped flanges located above and below the recesses and interlocked with the flanges of the plates of the wagon-body, the links disposed on the 

